It's A Toddlers Life.

A little stretch, a yawn and a nose pick. Life as a toddler is this.

Emotions Running High.

We're having a few challenging days this week because of limited naps. He wasn't sleeping brilliantly at night so we tried to limit - and even cut down on - naps. However very quickly we both realised that he needed naps. Without them he crashes in the middle of the day and is quick to get annoyed with everything.

Today was one of those days where he woke early from his nap and then was completely fed up for the remainder of the day. I was under the impression that he'd fall straight into bed and go to sleep but I couldn't be more wrong. When I went to get him - to change his nappy and put him back to sleep - he was as happy as a clam. He wanted to have a shot on his potty and read a book with me as well as lavish me and Bryan with cuddles.

Sometimes I don't understand the quickly changing moods and sometimes, and I say this very shame-faced, I can't contain my own frustrations with the moods. I'm used to toddlers; I've been around them far longer than I've been around newborns or one year old's and yet I feel like this toddler, Roman, is teaching me things I've never dealt with before. I didn't think that would be possible, but it definitely is. Every child really is different, my dad told me that when I was a teenager after he expected each of his children to be the same, but I didn't really hear what he was saying - nor did I really believe it. Now I'm living it. And for the majority of the time I'm loving it and when I'm not loving it, I'm praying to love it - and for myself; that I can keep up with all these shifts of emotion, that I can be three seconds ahead of my own changing emotions and keep them in check accordingly and when I get it wrong that I will have the strength to forgive myself.

Sweeties.

No childhood is complete without an overdose of sugar now and then, right?

Right.

So today when I found these forgotten about Jelly Tots (and I did a victory dance when I discovered they were vegan) in the back of my storage cupboard. Roman likes them but more than anything he loves to share them - seriously. I have never met a two year old that loves to share his sweeties so much and I can tell you he didn't get that from me or Bryan. 

Roman likes the sweeties fine enough but he won't gobble them up quickly; he likes to pick them apart and peer at what's inside and I would say that he prefers his vitamin over these sweets ;).

Briarlands Farm.

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With our feet and public transport as our means of getting about our options can be limited when doing things with Roman. 

When the weather was better I decided to check out some local venues that could be fun and educational to visit but felt a touch disappointed when I realised that Briarlands Farm was completely inaccessible to us. The main thing that drove me towards it was the idea that we could pick our own strawberries - which we ended up not doing at all today! Ha.

Luckily my sister Fi and her boyfriend Neil came to the rescue when they came along with us to the farm - and were able to take us there. It was fairly cheap to get in and while they didn't have many animals on display (which was disappointing) Roman was quite pleased with the animals they did have out. Especially the 'pinks' - his name for pigs. I think if he could have managed to squeeze himself in there with them he definitely would have ;). 

I was glad we went - even if the animals were fewer in numbers than expected and the strawberries were all picked by 4pm - but I think Roman was very tired out when we got home when he had a massive melt down - the melt down to top all melt downs, it was truly horrendous to watch because he was clearly distraught and very, very tired and there isn't an awful lot any parent can do in that circumstance. I'm happy to report that he went off to bed relatively happily - and quickly - and while I'm a big advocate of expressing yourself, whether for better or worse, I don't like the thought of him going to bed with some unresolved sadness lurking at the end of the day.

Haircup.

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His hair grows like mine; thick and fast. A haircut (or 'haircup' as he calls them) is in order nearly every single month and that can be a pretty stressful event for everyone. He twists and turns as the clippers come near him, usually followed by tears. It's usually awful and I dread it. I hold off on the haircuts as long as I possibly can but lately I've noticed he was sporting a barnet Donald Trump would be proud of - complete with his own toddler ponytail - and so it had to go.

He wasn't keen on the haircut but he's slowly growing to deal with them a little better. In the end we were reduced to putting him on Bryan's computer chair which worked out to to be the best solution to our little problem. Along with this letting him cut* 'Char-ey Bear' (Charley Bear's) fur made him less strange with the whole thing.

*A little note for my mum who made Charley Bear: the clippers weren't actually turned on so no bears were harmed in this process ;).

Burrito Baby (Toddler.)

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When he comes fresh from the bath I love to wrap him like this, the way I wrap my burritos. He's okay to be wrapped up like this and I find it so cute to watch him waddle through from our small bathroom to our living room and then gently unwrap him from the towel.

Today was a messy day; a day with gran, papa and his cousins. This bath was definitely a must, the burrito wrapping was optional but a must for me ;).

Belting Out A Number.

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When I saw this photo I laughed my head off. "I got a really great shot of him today," I told Bryan, feeling rather pleased with myself - and this project. It's no secret that lately I'm feeling really deflated with it all and sometimes I worry I'm snapping the same photos. Well I think this little photo puts all those fears to bed. 

If you glanced at this photo - what would you think? That I'm some kind of cruel mother who makes light of her sons sad moods or perhaps that my two year old is in fact a dinosaur. Well it's neither. He's belting out a tune that came out three decades (Black Box - Ride on Time) before his birth. 

Listen to the song and put this picture to the test - when the chorus kicked in, this is where he lost himself in the music ;). When the music ends there are constant pleas with me to put the 'woah, woaahh' song back on. "More woah, woaahh!" to be exact. And when that song goes back on? He's so serious! Like a child in a talent show who focuses a lot on being the best. Also, he turns every sound and beat into music; case in point when we were on the train a few weeks ago together he looked up at me with a huge smile and said '"DANCING!" then busted out a move from one of his routines (yep, he makes up his own moves and routines depending on the music) to the noise of the train rattling along the track. 

He's a musical little thing; full of soul and passion for the music.